It's official: Take a first look at the Switch 2 (3 minute read)
Nintendo has unveiled the Switch 2 with a trailer and promo website. The new device has a larger screen, a slightly more rounded edge on the top and bottom, an additional USB-C port on the top, and a wider kickstand that can support the system at a number of wider angles. The Joy-Cons are significantly larger than those on the original Switch. They have wider shoulder buttons and a new connector in the center. The Joy-Cons now snap in horizontally instead of having to slide in vertically. Pictures of the device are available in the article.
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TikTok ban poised to be delayed as Trump explores ways to extend deadline (2 minute read)
The ban on TikTok in the US may be delayed as the deadline falls on the MLK Day holiday weekend. Biden officials see the ban as an issue for the Trump administration, so there are no plans to intervene before the ban's January 19 deadline. An official has said that users should not expect the social network to shut down on Sunday. The Supreme Court is currently weighing whether to pause the law.
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Science & Futuristic Technology
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Blue Origin reaches orbit on first flight of its titanic New Glenn rocket (3 minute read)
Blue Origin has reached orbit for the first time since its founding nearly a quarter of a century ago. The launch occurred on Thursday morning, a little more than an hour into its launch window. While the first stage did not successfully return to Earth, the debut launch of the New Glenn rocket was a smashing success. SpaceX required 19 launches before it finally landed an orbital rocket for the first time, so it was unlikely Blue Origin would have succeeded on the first attempt.
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SpaceX catches Starship booster a second time, loses ship to an ‘anomaly' in space (3 minute read)
SpaceX caught Starship's Super Heavy booster for a second time on Thursday. However, an anomaly with the upper stage caused it to disappear after eight and a half minutes into the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration slowed or diverted a number of flights in the area where debris was spotted. SpaceX believes that the incident was caused by an oxygen/fuel leak inside Starship that built up too much pressure inside the cavity of the craft. A link to a video of the debris falling back to Earth shared by Elon Musk is available in the article.
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Programming, Design & Data Science
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Google reports halving code migration time with AI help (5 minute read)
Google computer scientists have released a paper describing how the company uses AI for internal code migrations. The company's focus is on bespoke AI tools developed for specific product areas instead of generic AI tools that provide broadly applicable services. While humans were needed to double-check the AI's work, it is estimated that AI helped reduce the time required to complete a code migration by 50%. The researchers note that large language models should be used in conjunction with other tools to prevent the human review process from becoming a bottleneck and to reduce costs.
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Five years of React Native at Shopify (11 minute read)
Shopify switched to React Native for three reasons: to stop building the same features twice, enable devs to work fluently across iOS, Android, and Web, and ship more value. The transition was successful, increasing productivity, allowing teams to do more with the same number of people, and freeing up capacity to ship more value. Shopify has now migrated all of its apps to React Native. This article discusses the lessons the team learned along the way.
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Toyota's futuristic Woven City in Japan is ready for its first residents (6 minute read)
Toyota's Woven City, a $10 billion project being built on the site of a former car factory in Japan, is almost ready for its first residents. The city is supposed to be a 'living laboratory' where people can live while testing out futuristic projects. It will allow residents to test out inventors' ideas in a secure real-life setting. Toyota will welcome its first 100 residents, all of whom will be Toyota employees or its subsidiary, Woven by Toyota, to the city in the fall of 2025. The first phase of the city will eventually house 360 residents. A concept video that details Toyota's plans is available in the article.
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Here's what NASA would like to see SpaceX accomplish with Starship this year (18 minute read)
SpaceX's Starship to-do list for 2025 includes the debut of a larger Starship, the launch of a ship into low-Earth orbit, in-orbit refueling, and more. The company aims to fly as many as 25 Starship missions this year. It is building a second launch pad to speed up the launch cadence. This article discusses the space startup's plans for the year - it includes a transcript of an interview with Lisa Watson-Morgan, the NASA engineer overseeing the agency's contract with SpaceX.
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Some things to expect in 2025 (5 minute read)
This year's predictions include increasing rates of kernel code written in Rust, another XZ-like backdoor attempt coming to light, the launch of one or more foundations aimed at providing support for maintainers, the failure of several cloud-based products, and more fully open hardware being available by the end of the year.
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